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Public hearing set on proposal to extend moratorium in Mattituck

A public hearing will be held later this month on a proposal to extend the moratorium along Main Road in Mattituck by an additional six months.

The moratorium was enacted in February on the issuance of approvals and permits for properties between Bay Avenue and Pike Street. It is set to expire Sept. 6.

The public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 27 at 7 p.m.

The moratorium was enacted to allow for a traffic study intended to address the area’s “insufficient infrastructure” when it comes to handling increasing traffic, according to the law. During the first six-month period, the board considered recommendations of a parking study in the Love Lane area and the town’s Comprehensive Plan, which is now in its final draft version.

The Aug. 27 hearing is intended to gather feedback on extending the moratorium, which does not affect residential permits or public institutions.

In May, Brinkmann Hardware Corp. began legal action against the Town of Southold in response to the moratorium, which the owners argued was “designed solely to frustrate and delay” their proposed project. They had planned to construct a 20,000-square-foot hardware store at the corner of Main Road and New Suffolk Avenue. Those plans were halted by the moratorium.

The Brinkmann owners filed a legal challenge referred to as an Article 78 petition in Suffolk County Supreme Court May 23, claiming that the moratorium lacks a valid zoning purpose and is an “unlawful exercise of the town’s police powers,” according to prior reports.

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